iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Prof Lucie Middlemiss

Dr Harriet Thew @harrietthew.bsky.social · 24/10/2025

This week we launched the West Yorkshire hub of @justcentre.bsky.social with 30+ regional partners to explore how to put social justice at the heart of climate change conversation and action. A huge thank you to everyone who joined us, we are excited for what lies ahead!

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amy brown 👻 @amybrown.xyz · 22/08/2025

this iconic advertising copywriter named Kathy Hepinstall Parks died over the weekend and I wanted to share something from her website I thought Bluesky would like

Why should I write better when a machine can do it for me?
Because actually no one can do it for you, because your voice is unique among all the people on earth. Siri never petted a horse's neck. Alexa has never been ghosted by the captain of the football team. But you have lived, your heart is beating, you have suffered, and you have something important to say. It's a human's job, to use words, and whatever job you give to a machine, that part of your brain goes dark. Maybe it's worth it when it comes to remembering phone numbers and directions, but when that part of your brain that uses words goes dark, that's a vast area that's very close to your soul. Don't let some internet platform convince you that what you have to say and create isn't worthwhile. Words are the echo of your soul. Honing that echo matters.

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Prof Lucie Middlemiss @luciemidd.bsky.social · 27/07/2025

We are in Paris! Just watched them in Montmartre coming down the hill in the rain. Brilliant.

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Reposted by Prof Lucie Middlemiss

Joseph Howley @illdottore.bsky.social · 17/07/2025

Rümeysa Öztürk describes the library in the prison where she was held for 45 days for co-authoring an op-ed

After many requests, I finally accessed what turned out to be the saddest and smallest library I have ever seen. I was surprised to find that the books were not categorized by author or Dewey number but size. I tried to find a book before my allotted time ended and picked a cooking book; the second time I got a novel. I began flipping through the pages in search of solace, as books have always been my safe haven. To my surprise, I discovered handwritten notes scattered throughout the book, dated and written by various detainees over time. These messages were filled with reminders of hope, strength, and the assurance that this, too, shall pass. Tears welled up in my eyes as I read their heartfelt expressions. It’s incredible how human beings can find ways to uplift each other, transcending time, space, and borders if they want to and if they choose to. I continued to turn the pages, holding on to the hope of finding brighter moments in this terrifying situation—all thanks to the kindness of people I had never met.

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Reposted by Prof Lucie Middlemiss

Faculty of Environment, University of Leeds @envleeds.bsky.social · 21/07/2025

Well done to @luciemidd.bsky.social and @profmarkdavis.bsky.social, who were awarded Best Paper by Energy Research & Social Science! 👏 Their paper investigates how social relations impact public decision-making and action around energy use. Read more: environment.leeds.ac.uk/news/article...

environment.leeds.ac.uk

Sustainability research team wins Best Paper Award

Professors Lucie Middlemiss and Mark Davis have been honoured with the Best Paper Award by Energy Research & Social Science for their groundbreaking research.

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Prof Lucie Middlemiss @luciemidd.bsky.social · 15/07/2025

@matthannon.bsky.social @anneowen.bsky.social and Stephen Hall. Watch this space for further work to come, from this team and beyond. We look forward to our methodology taking flight with other scholars. If you are inspired please do get in touch!

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Prof Lucie Middlemiss @luciemidd.bsky.social · 15/07/2025

This paper was mainly written at my kitchen table with @profmarkdavis.bsky.social, but with a stellar list of co-authors from the Whole Person Whole Place team: @drdonalbrown.bsky.social‪ @ruthbookbinder.bsky.social Iain Cairns, @giuliamininni.bsky.social @mcbrisbois.bsky.social ...

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Prof Lucie Middlemiss @luciemidd.bsky.social · 15/07/2025

The originality here is in how we apply interdisciplinary ideas from relational sociology to the energy social sciences, in our detailed explanation of the ontology and epistemology of a relational approach, and in our practical articulation of how other scholars can take up the approach.

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Prof Lucie Middlemiss @luciemidd.bsky.social · 15/07/2025

In the paper we document a new subfield: ‘relational energy research’. We bring insights from relational sociology into energy demand research, offering methodological guidance for a new focus in the energy social sciences: social relations and the way that they shape energy demand.

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Prof Lucie Middlemiss @luciemidd.bsky.social · 15/07/2025

Our paper “Developing a relational approach to energy demand: A methodological and conceptual guide” has won a prize: the Energy Research & Social Science Best Paper Award! You can read it here: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... thanks to funding from @ukerc.bsky.social

sciencedirect.com

Developing a relational approach to energy demand: A methodological and conceptual guide

In a recent review of research on the role of social relations in shaping energy demand, authors documented increasing interest in relational approach…

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Prof Lucie Middlemiss @luciemidd.bsky.social · 24/06/2025

Thanks for the follow Julian and really looking forward to hearing from you at this event!

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Reposted by Prof Lucie Middlemiss

JUST Centre @justcentre.bsky.social · 20/06/2025

🚨Join us for the International Launch of the JUST Centre, with keynote remarks from Prof. Julian Agyeman and a discussion with Centre Director Prof. Sherilyn MacGregor, Co-Investigators Prof. Lucie Middlemiss, Prof. Stefan Bouzarovski and Prof. Rebecca Willis. Register here: tinyurl.com/5bxfdb2z

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Prof Lucie Middlemiss @luciemidd.bsky.social · 19/06/2025

Interested in #health #equity and #buildings join Doug's new 'HESTIA' network!

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Prof Lucie Middlemiss @luciemidd.bsky.social · 03/06/2025

There is no direct policy on energy poverty in China, but energy 5 year plans and poverty alleviation policy have nevertheless worked to address it in the last 20 years. Lin maps the existing and missing policy in China, documenting which aspects of this problem are not currently addressed. Enjoy!

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Reposted by Prof Lucie Middlemiss

Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 28/05/2025

The case for using "global majority" by institutions should be rejected unless + until it can be shown - most people understand what it means (most don't) - most people it is about would like it used (most don't) I find it a deeply incoherent fiction + a highly regressive term in some many ways

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Reposted by Prof Lucie Middlemiss

Brian Groom @groomb.bsky.social · 19/04/2025

Back-to-back life on Leeds streets caught on camera. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

bbc.co.uk

Back-to-back life on streets of Leeds caught on camera

Photographer Ricky Adam says the red brick terraces of Leeds are

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Reposted by Prof Lucie Middlemiss

Jaweed Kaleem @jaweedkaleem.bsky.social · 09/04/2025

UPDATED: As of Tuesday night, California universities are reporting at least 92 revoked student visas. — 50 at UC campuses. New: UC Santa Barbara and UC Irvine and a jump at UC Berkeley to 19 total — 36 at CSU campuses, including San Diego State — 6 at Stanford www.latimes.com/california/s...

latimes.com

Caught off-guard, California colleges scramble to determine scope of student visa cancellations

More universities are discovering that international student visas were cancelled last week, causing growing concern and confusion at UCLA and other California campuses.

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Reposted by Prof Lucie Middlemiss

Katharine Hayhoe @katharinehayhoe.com · 09/04/2025

The rationale for this cancellation is climate denial. There is no dressing it up, there is no tiptoeing around it. Yet climate change doesn’t care if we believe it. It will destroy our homes, multiply insurance rates, wreak economic havoc and more — regardless of our opinions or voting record.

A screen capture of the text of the link below, explaining why they will no longer support cooperative modeling of the earth’s climate system.

Another screen capture explaining why they no longer support sub seasonal to seasonal predictability research. That’s weather, folks. They don’t support weather research.

A third screen capture explaining why a regional coupled model project is being canceled, as it includes alleged changes to precipitation patterns and sea level rise.

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Reposted by Prof Lucie Middlemiss

Prof Cath Noakes @cathnoakes.bsky.social · 07/04/2025

Interested in residential air quality and environmental justice? Check out this new paper from @douglasbooker.bsky.social and others in the HEICAMM network exploring ten key research questions in this area www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

sciencedirect.com

Ten questions concerning the future of residential indoor air quality and its environmental justice implications

Humans spend a large proportion of their time at home, where exposure to poor indoor air quality has detrimental – and often inequitably distributed –…

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Reposted by Prof Lucie Middlemiss

Prof Cath Noakes @cathnoakes.bsky.social · 07/04/2025

Having a bit of a reminisce today. Five years ago an email arrived that changed my life - a request to produce a paper on what we knew about the environmental transmission of covid-19 for the UK SAGE committee. 1/

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Reposted by Prof Lucie Middlemiss

Costa Samaras @costasamaras.com · 01/04/2025

This is not an exaggeration: illegally gutting this program will cause Americans to freeze to death in their homes.

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Reposted by Prof Lucie Middlemiss

Viktoria Spaiser @viktoriaspaiser.bsky.social · 27/03/2025

Come to our exciting event "Accelerating Social Change in Response to the Climate and Ecological Crisis", 6th June, London, register here: forms.office.com/e/4A078QseKL For more infos here: bit.ly/41O8EIe

Event details (place, time, organisers, links, contact details) and schedule

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Prof Lucie Middlemiss @luciemidd.bsky.social · 25/03/2025

We offer 3 key recommendations here: 1. Close the data gap on who is winning and losing in NZ to design interventions more inclusively. 2. Find opportunities to intervene relationally in left-behind places. 3. Design energy policy to benefit different groups of people through social relations.

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Prof Lucie Middlemiss @luciemidd.bsky.social · 25/03/2025

New paper led by Stephen Hall: Mission Led government or Radical Incrementalism for electricity and Net Zero? We argue for a relational approach to Net Zero, whether rooted in radical incrementalism or in mission-led government. journal.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/articles/13/...

journal.thebritishacademy.ac.uk

Mission Led government or Radical Incrementalism for electricity and Net Zero?

Should we govern the energy transition through bold ‘Mission Led’ government or pragmatic ‘Radical Incrementalism’ A Mission Led approach has an emboldened state setting clear goals for transformatio...

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Prof Lucie Middlemiss @luciemidd.bsky.social · 20/03/2025

I'm calling it dark still in Leeds. Waiting for clocks to change...

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Reposted by Prof Lucie Middlemiss

Rebecca Solnit @rebeccasolnit.bsky.social · 18/03/2025

And the essay I wrote about climate, trees, and David's violin is here (and in my forthcoming anthology No Straight Road Takes You There with Haymarket Books). I'm on the board of OCI, by the way. Since 2017. www.theguardian.com/music/2022/j...

theguardian.com

‘A truce with the trees’: Rebecca Solnit on the wonders of a 300-year old violin

Made with all-renewable materials, this violin from 1721 reflects a time of magnificent culture – a global gathering from before the climate crisis

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Prof Lucie Middlemiss @luciemidd.bsky.social · 16/03/2025

Done, I'm an ally thinking about my son's needs, be an ally whoever you are. More carrot, less stick please.

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Reposted by Prof Lucie Middlemiss

Frances Ryan @francesryan.bsky.social · 16/03/2025

If you want to write to your Labour MP about disability benefit cuts but have limited spoons, here’s a template from @sensecharity.bsky.social you can use: t.co/E8QB6EDi9o Public backlash *does* work at times so let’s keep the pressure up. You too, non-disabled allies!

t.co

https://action.sense.org.uk/page/167765/action/1?ea.tracking.id=twt-org

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Prof Lucie Middlemiss @luciemidd.bsky.social · 16/03/2025

What can we do about this? Please share ideas. I realise it is only one of a number of things but it is an important one...

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NBC News @nbcnews.com · 15/03/2025

Nationwide protests are planned this weekend after Mahmoud Khalil, a former Columbia University student activist, was arrested by immigration authorities, fueling tensions between the Trump administration and student movements over immigration policy.

nbcnews.to

Nationwide protests planned after arrest of former Columbia University activist by immigration authorities

Mahmoud Khalil was taken into custody by immigration authorities last weekend, prompting outrage.

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Reposted by Prof Lucie Middlemiss

Laura Seay @texasinafrica.bsky.social · 15/03/2025

Before Mahmoud Khalil's detention last week, ICE came for a Columbia PhD student. She had nothing to do with the Gaza protests, but was arrested last spring during a roundup while trying to walk home. Charges were dismissed. The State Department still revoked her visa.

nytimes.com

How a Columbia Student Fled to Canada After ICE Came Looking for Her

Ranjani Srinivasan’s student visa was revoked by U.S. immigration authorities. That was just the start of her odyssey.

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Reposted by Prof Lucie Middlemiss

PiedFly.Net @piedflynet.bsky.social · 14/03/2025

PhD opportunity with me (RSPB) at Sheffield Hallam combining ecology (building-nesting birds esp. Swift) + building design & planning (Net Zero goals & retrofit). We need a strong student interested in both! Is that you? url.uk.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/cNyjCR636C... Please repost.

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Social Research Methods at Leeds @srmleeds.bsky.social · 07/03/2025

' #RealistEvaluation: Principles and Practice' Meet the authors: Ana Manzano & Emma Williams. On the 7th May at the Social Research Methods centre of the University of Leeds. Further details and tickets available here: socialresearchmethods.leeds.ac.uk/events/meet-...

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Prof Lucie Middlemiss @luciemidd.bsky.social · 26/02/2025

Who will join us at the @justcentre.bsky.social launch in #Manchester? Will be a fun event, and a celebration of #diversity, #inclusion and #environment in these challenging times... Eventbrite below: 📅 12th March, 17:00 – 19:00 📍 The People History Museum www.eventbrite.com/e/just-centr...

eventbrite.com

JUST Centre Launch

JUST Centre Launch - Joining Up For a Sustainable Future

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Reposted by Prof Lucie Middlemiss

Prof Ruth Patrick @ruthpatrick0.bsky.social · 25/02/2025

Exciting opportunity to join the @changingrealities.bsky.social team at a time when the work we do together has never mattered more. Please do share widely jobs.york.ac.uk/vacancy/rese...

jobs.york.ac.uk

Jobs - The University of York

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Reposted by Prof Lucie Middlemiss

Charlotte Lydia Riley @lottelydia.bsky.social · 23/02/2025

I’m glad Labour is supporting these workers, who are at risk of losing 400 jobs. Would be nice if they were also supporting university workers, where 10,000 jobs are at risk. In the first week of February alone 1,000 job cuts were announced. Nothing from Labour at all in response.

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Prof Julia Steinberger 🌹🌱🌍 #ClimateAction #Fightfascism @jksteinberger.bsky.social · 23/02/2025

As promised, here are the slides I shared with students to convince them to NOT use chatGPT and other artificial stupidity. TL;DR? AI is evil, unsustainable and stupid, and I'd much rather they use their own brains, make their own mistakes, and actually learn something. 🪄

NO CHATGPT Or other artificial stupidity: motivation
First, clarity on distinguishing AIs:
Non-generative: grammar aid, translation, dictionary, text-to-audio (e.g. Natural Reader): no problem
As long as you use the appropriate tools (least intensive in data and server energy use).
Why? Because you provide the content. Your brain is doing the most important work
Generative: ChatGPT & Co.
You only supply the prompt, the AI supplies the content.
Why is this delegation of work problematic?
3 domains: ethical, environmental, intellectual engagement.

(Caveat: generative is probably ok for computer programming, where it can be useful and save time. Not relevant to this class.)

1) AI and ethics
Mass theft of all and everything
«learning» on books, articles, blogs, social media, images, music, cultural production, without permission of authors/creators, and leading to their mass joblessness. Profits are not reditributed to originators.
Permanent destruction of the mental health of underpaid precarious tech workers in the Global South (Kenya, Philippines …):
«correction» to avoid production of violent and pedophile contents etc, tech workers are obliged to watch and correct super violent contents for days on end, leading to extreme psychological suffering and trauma, from which recovery is doubtful. No or little compensation (certainly not at the level of the suffering inflicted).
In short, an industry built on theft of real human creation and sacrifice of real human health, profiting a few megafortunes.

2) AI and (un)sustainability

Massive consumption of electricity, water, server capacity for generative AI.
Outcome: keep fossil fuel companies in business, using up new renewable capacity, without any satisfaction of basic human needs.
Massive misappropriation of the finance necessary for climate and ecological action (renewable generation, efficiency and retrofit for buildings, public transit, infrastructures for cycling etc) towards AI industry.
Overall: undermine climate action, reinforce fossil industry, waste resources necessary for human development.

3) AI and intellectual engagement

First, what learning is (or should be) about:
The goal should not (only) be the reproduction of «correct» knowledge,
But mainly personal engagement and experience of thinking about topics of interest. Personal engagement = using one’s own brain.
The most important activity for learning and intellectual engagement is the experience of making one’s own mistakes, by trial and error, corrections based on new ideas, starting over again. Learning to recognise nuances, knowledge gaps, better explanations
This kind of learning is possible only through using your own brain, not AI.
Also, Ais are not «intelligent». At all.
They simply reproduce pre-existing patterns. They «bullshit», invent false references, false facts, false data, simply because those sound plausible. VERY DANGEROUS.
If you learn how to NOT use AI, and how to research facts and data on your own, this will serve you and your communities for the rest of your life.

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Prof Christina Pagel @chrischirp.bsky.social · 21/02/2025

It matters that scientists speak out against what is being done to US science. Staying silent is neither "objective" nor "staying out of politics". Silence now *is* political - it supports the status quo, says "nothing to worry about". We need to sound the alarm. www.nature.com/articles/d41...

nature.com

Trump’s siege of science: how the first 30 days unfolded and what’s next

The breakneck pace and devastating impact of the administration’s policy changes has shocked researchers.

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Prof Lucie Middlemiss @luciemidd.bsky.social · 19/02/2025

Seems like all my research projects come to the same conclusion... #ItsRelationalStupid #trust #person-centred

In short, tackling energy poverty isn't a simple fix. It's about being human-centred, establishing relationship and trust with community long before the project; be adaptable, collaborative and focused on real-world solutions that make a difference in people's lives.

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Prof Lucie Middlemiss @luciemidd.bsky.social · 17/02/2025

Arrived Barcelona at 930 local time. Quite a pleasant journey. Recommend.

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